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Why Failure can be a good thing in your life

Failure is one of those highly devastating experiences that can make or break your life. When I fail, I feel that the Universe is sending me a sign of awakening.I have read somewhere Steve Jobs had said that being fired from Apple was the best thing that ever happened to him. That attitude is a sure sign of growth, of moving towards something that can take you from average to awesome.

So, take the pledge to “Embrace Your Failures.”

FAILURE IS AN AWAKENING, A STEPPING STONE TO AWESOMENESS

When your life is going smoothly, you don’t really grow. You are cozy in your comfort zone. It’s easy, convenient and leisurely. We all feel that way through the good times.

When you hit choppy waters, your skills are tested like never before. Not just your skills – a host of traits are put to test. Such as:

·Your professional ethics and value systems [Do you feel tempted to take short cuts?]

·Your sense of timing and sense of humor

·Your inner compass – that which helps you to make critical decisions

·Your integrity particularly in your inter personal relationships

FAILURE TEACHES YOU TO FOCUS ON WHAT IS IMPORTANT TO YOU

We experience failure in different ways. If it’s a relationship, you have the choice to make yourself more miserable or you can choose to decide that it is over.

Another example - Losing a job enables you to evaluate yourself before you pitch your CV to a prospective employer. You may want to get trained to develop a skill. Or if you were miserable in your job, you will look for a job that you feel passionate about or interested in.

The options to grow are plenty. We just don’t see it when we succeed at everything or when life is too smooth.

FAILURE SHOWS YOU WHO YOUR REAL FRIENDS ARE

Do you want
to discover who your real friends are? Failure is the best way to find out.

Right at the
peak of my career in the publishing segment, I was surrounded by ‘fawning
friends.’ Out of the blue, I took a break from my career and decided to spend
sometime at home with my family. I saw a complete U-turn in my friends’ circle.
They no longer wanted to talk or even be seen with me. When we met at parties,
I got the cold shoulder. Lesson learned!

Another funny
instance – we visited my husband’s school buddy in Mumbai. It was my first trip
to Mumbai in ten years and it meant a lot to me. This school buddy had been
insisting we have dinner at his home and we were not sure but since he kept calling and insisting, we agreed reluctantly.

When we
reached there, he noted that we came in an auto and not in a cab. We didn’t tell
him that our cab had stopped midway due to some issue and we took an auto from
there. But you get the drift – he didn’t like what he saw.

Once we were
seated, he asked casually about what we were doing.

Jokingly, my husband said, “We
have both quit our jobs and we are jobless.” What he didn’t say is that I have
already got a job that I would join in after the Mumbai trip and that he would
be starting his own law firm the same month.

The friend’s warm
demeanor changed. He may have assumed we needed some financial help, which was not the case. Dinner was not offered. That's okay - except that I wished, as every mother would, that they had had the decency to give food to my baby who was really hungry by then!So, we were on our way back to where we stayed. Most restaurants on the way had closed and those that were open - I wasn't sure I wanted my son to have food from there!

But the
Universe never cheats on good human beings. Guess what happened?

We went to a
restaurant – an expensive one – because we couldn’t find any other ones so late
near to the place we stayed. There was a sweet young couple next to our table who
kept admiring baby Adi (my son) and when we were about to pay the bill, it was
paid already!

Apparently,
they paid it and told us, “We just love your baby and wanted to give him a
gift. This is our gift for your baby.”

Though I
tried to refuse, they were very adamant and didn’t allow me to pay.

Isn’t it
funny? We went to a ‘friend’s place because he invited us for dinner. He
changed his mind and our dinner gets paid for by absolute strangers! I have
never forgotten their loving gift and I often send out grateful prayers for the
couple.

Coming back
to my point, it’s failure that helped me find out who my ‘real friends’ are because
they turned up for me when I didn't expect it. Some sent me
job offers whenever they saw something suitable for me though I hadn’t asked.
They would follow up and say ‘Did you apply?’ to give me a gentle nudge.

Trust me, these
are the real angels that the Universe sends to you when you get a raw deal on
other fronts. But you won’t discover them when you are enjoying the good times
because they vanish into thin air and seem to disappear!

TREAT FAILURE LIKE AN UNEXPECTED GIFT

Everything
happens in your life for a good reason. Failure is actually not what you think
it is. SURPRISE THE UNIVERSE BY TREATING FAILURE LIKE AN UNEXPECTED GIFT. This is the best
way to let go of your fears, trust in the Higher Power that guides you and
enjoy the path you are set to take. To be inspired, read about these Amazing Path Makers.

FAILURE CAN CHANGE YOUR LIFE. EMBRACE IT WITH LOVE.

IT’s YOUR TURN TO INSPIRE ME J♥♥ I thank you with all my heart for reading my post. I dedicate this post with love and gratitude to all individuals who are pursuing their potential to become path makers.REQUEST: Please SHARE this article on your favorite social networks. Every share, like or tweet makes me reach out to more people who are in various phases of finding their own paths. I am grateful and I appreciate you for doing so. ♥♥

Comments

True all that. Especially that failure shows who really care for you. Been there at a younger age and the realisation was worth it. It probably altered the way I dealt with people afterwards. I now have a lot of acquaintances and only a handful of friends.

Recently I decided to take a break from work and the same thing happened, my circle of friends grew smaller. Now that I am back at work, was quite easier to decide who stays and who leaves. I must also mention the good folks who kept backing me up.

If failure is lack of social acceptance, I would prefer being a failure and walk on my own path. Having quit a job after almost fifteen years, I have heard and experienced various versions of cold shoulder treatment, including being ignored by closest work place friends. But, the best thing is I have found greater satisfaction and know myself better. Have found who are the real friends and relatives too! Great post. Bless the couple who were so gracious to love the child so much! Good to know such people still exist!

NGDCs .. Interesting comment by K T Hari .. But now a days it seems, being looked up at upon in some awe and jealousy at failures seem to be slightly on a receding and declining mode .. With more knowledge integration and awareness that also seems to be looked at upon as just yet another pretty ordinary thing it seems .. lol .. :) ..

Recently my Friend in Canada, who came to India for his house warming in Kerala along with Family was using Auto Rickshaws to travel to most places including that of his relatives as a more convenient and maybe economical too travel mode .. couldn't think of, not to appreciate his higher IQ .. but then the fall out of that seems even Auto travels seems to be loosing its charm in giving that extra - recognition .. now a days I am thinking hard, how to play better the Show - OFFs (Show - Biz) for some extra boosts to Third House front .. Me sharing ur this link in my FB Page too .. :) ..

@Melange: Always love to hear from you, thanks for all the encouraging words!

@Indiran: That confidence was always there within, just takes a nudge from something very small, like a ripple, for us to discover it. Glad to be that tiny ripple in a vast ocean. All the best!

@Rohit: Thanks Rohit and hey, I love that quote from the Rocky series.

@Hari KT: Happy to know you found it inspiring. Keep reading and returning:)

@Dr Diana: Totally with you on that,doc!

@Zafaran: Same here, thanks for sharing your views too. After quitting my job, I unlearned everything I thought I knew about social acceptance. Today, it would be fair to see we are happier, wiser human beings because we learned something important from failure - something more valuable and profound than what success can teach us.

@JK: Good to hear from you, nice of you to share this on your Facebook page.

I so agree with you and the thoughts shared here. Failure is a BIG teacher. I think some of the life's best lessons are learnt at worst times. And it also shows the real face of your friends and near ones too!

This is what I need right now. Failure teaches us a lot and we get to know who are our real friends. Sometimes, we get unexpected help from strangers. This is so true. Right now, I am out of job and thankfully, been blessed with wonderful people around. It's true that failure pushes us to the level that one's success can't see.

I guess this is my first visit to your blog but I connected instantly to this thought provoking post.I'm going through the same phase right now. Although it was I who decided to quit my high profile job coz I had taken the bad behavior of my temperamental superior for a long time and just couldn't put up with it anymore. It's been a year and a half since. Initially for the first one year...I still had a lot of people volunteering around me offering solace. Slowly in last six months I see a shift in perspective and my so-called support system of close friends has collapsed with just a few handful left...and I am not even sure after this experience, how many more will last. But this has just made me stronger. I diverted my attention to a passion which I am now trying to convert into my strength...'my writing.' And I do see light at the end of the tunnel ever since I started writing regularly. It keeps me off the negativity that comes from these friends who jilted me.This post assures me that I haven't been wrongly judgmental and also that I'm not the only one experiencing it.Thanks for sharing :)

@Shilpa: It sure does:) And many thanks for reading and sharing this post in your social networks, I truly appreciate it, Shilpa!

@Vishal: Glad to hear this post has lifted your spirits a bit. Just stay positive in moving forward with confidence. Thanks for reading this post and sharing your thoughts here.I wish you all the best.

@Vinodini: Happy to know that this post touched you a lot and struck a personal chord with you. It's always a good feeling to reach out to fine people like you and offer a ray of light through words that come straight from the heart. You are on the right track and not being judgmental. The most important step to move forward and with confidence when you face a challenge. You already have it in you because I can feel from your words that all of this has made you more aware and stronger in spirit. Way to go, I wish you the very best!

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